Railways will be a smart, sustainable, efficient way to move freight, people

Dear Editor,
Guyana will soon be undergoing several infrastructure projects to upgrade and build new facilities and systems to serve the public and already the United States is making it clear that these projects will be fair and transparent with no political ties.
This is in keeping with the content of the Growth in the Americas Memorandum of Understanding signed between Guyana and the United States. Our Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, now has the task of focusing mainly on various programmes and projects for railway infrastructure capacity development. As we all noticed over the last 49 days, our PPP/C Government has played a proactive role in the day-to-day management of our economy to that effect. One of the economic objectives is to implement an active policy in order to ensure a proper transport infrastructure which, in its turn, will ensure and support the social and economic requirements of our country, hence, the railway infrastructure could be divided into two categories, productive infrastructure and social infrastructure. This kind of framework puts Guyana in a position to see the realisation of several new projects in the infrastructural and energy sectors, which was signed between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd.
Railways will be a smart, sustainable, and efficient way to move freight and people. Trains promote economic growth, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and are a compact, clean way to move millions of tons of goods and thousands of passengers across Guyana, towns and rural areas. While there are definitely some challenges when it comes to implementing railways in Guyana (where reform is needed in the way that railroads are financed and organised), rail transport is particularly useful for both rural, urban and inner-city settings. Railways provide numerous advantages for developing countries, ranging from social to environmental. It’s also one of the best options for public transport, based on the amount of fuel and emissions per passenger, the number of passengers carried, reduced road accidents, lower costs, increased safety, reduced use of land, increased speed, and more.
Physical connectivity between rural and urban areas is essential for economic growth in Guyana. Close to 20 per cent of the money lent to developing countries from the World Bank is for transportation infrastructure projects. This is more than social services, health, and education combined. Improved mobility is an important factor for reducing poverty, and allows people from rural areas to commute to urban areas with greater employment opportunities.
It can be difficult to measure the economic benefits of railways due to the potential spillover effects. For example, areas without railways could see transport costs fall when a close neighbouring area gains access to railways. Or, the area with railways access could see increased prosperity and therefore greater demand for products in neighbouring areas. These types of projects will be a major contributor to a prosperous life for the people of Guyana. We have an opportunity here to create more than 5000 jobs. Once the project is complete, transport links between the region will be greatly improved. This will promote economic development throughout the regions, along with socio-economic development along the transport corridor.
While vehicle ownership rates are lower in developing nations than wealthy ones, they lead to much worse air pollution and traffic congestion. Populations are increasing and motorisation rates are skyrocketing, which is stretching already limited infrastructure. Railways are one of the most cost-effective and greenest transportation options available. The question is, what will be the challenges for Guyana? The massive cost of building the infrastructure in the first place.
Another key challenge? Many of the railways in developing countries rely on fossil fuels. Diesel, in particular, is hugely volatile and continues to rise in price, making rail travel more expensive. Diesel is also a massive contributor to climate change. By switching to cleaner power sources, Guyana can enjoy all the benefits of railways, without the expense and pollution associated with non-renewable resources.

Sincerely,
David Adams